Nike/US Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic Region Report

Top Performers

Megan Whittle, McDonogh (Md.)

The junior scored six goals to help McDonogh to a 19-10 win over
Maryvale Prep. The game was a rematch of last year's IAAM
championship game in which McDonogh won 12-11 in the final 10
seconds. Whittle's scored five of her goals in the first half.

Heidi Smith, Broad Run (Va.)

In Broad Run's last three games Smith has scored an astounding
18 goals and added six assists. The senior tallied eight goals in a
13-10 loss to Briar Woods (Va.), a performance that was sandwiched
between a six goal, four assist game against Osbourn (Va.) and a
four goal, two assist game in a win over Freedom-South Riding
(Va.).

Gussie Johns, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes
(Va.)

With all the Saints offense it's easy to overlook the defensive
side of the field. Johns has been stellar in goal for a team that
has allowed double-digits in goals just once this season. The
junior posted 10 saves in a win over then-No. 3 Georgetown
Visitation (D.C.) and followed that up with a three-game stretch in
which she totaled 22 saves in wins over Holy Cross (Md.), Christian
Brothers (N.Y.) and Holton-Arms (N.Y.).

Games to Watch

McDonogh (Md.) at Century (Md.) – April
29

These programs were two of the best in the state in 2012 and are
once again are the favorites to repeat as champions in their
respective classes. Century is the defending Class 3A/2A champion
while McDonogh is the four-time IAAM A champion. When these teams
met in 2012 Century got closer to defeating McDonogh than any team
before them, losing by just seven goals. That loss was the Knights
only one of the season as they went on to win six-straight games to
capture their title. The Eagles have won 84-straight games and will
play teams in the hunt for the playoffs in their final four games
of the regular season, including two of the top public schools in
Century and Marriotts Ridge (Md.), which is 8-0.

Cape Henlopen (Del.) at Queen Anne's County (Md.)
– May 4

The Vikings have been dominant this season, averaging a scoring
difference of 12.5 goals per game over their opponents. The Vikings
have scored at least 20 goals in three games and scored 19 in
another over their last four wins. Queen Anne's has been one of the
top teams in Maryland this season and have scored at least 20 goals
in two games, including a 21-0 win to open their season over
Cambridge-South Dorcester. The game marks the third time this year
the Vikings will play a Maryland opponent, but the first against a
public school team that is anticipated to make a deep playoff
run.

1. McDonogh (Md.), 15-0

The Eagles extended their winning streak to 84 games with a
19-10 win over nationally-ranked Maryvale Prep (Md.). McDonogh has
won four straight IAAM championships and has not lost a league game
since the 2008 final against John Carroll.

2. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Va.),
17-0

The Saints have not allowed a team to score double-digits in
goals since March 24 and have been dominant in April. SSSA has
played 12 games this month and have an average margin of victory of
10.5 goals per game in that span. Carly Reed leads the Northern
Va./Washington D.C. area with 72 goals, Besser Dyson leads in
assists with 77 and Gussie Johns has more than 100 saves so far
this season.

3. Georgetown Visitation (D.C.), 12-1

Visitation ran into a buzz saw when it faced No. 2 St. Stephen's
& St. Agnes on April 10, falling 14-9. The Tigers rebounded
with a 19-6 win over Holy Child (Md.) and a 12-6 win over Stone
Ridge (Va) and a 15-13 win over Flint Hill (Va.). Mary Patalita
tallied 11 points in those three wins (six goals, five
assists).

4. Moorestown (N.J.), 9-0

The Quakers have yet to allow more than four goals in any game
this season and have allowed no more than two goals in seven of
their wins. Marie McCool scored seven goals and Jessica Dadino
scored five in two wins last week.

5. St. Paul's School for Girls (Md.), 9-3

The Gators stumbled slightly with a 9-7 loss to Archbishop
Spalding – a game sandwiched between Bryn Mawr (Md.) and
Mount de Sales (Md.). But St. Paul's rebounded with wins over de
Sales and Garrison Forest followed by a 10-9 win over previously
undefeated C.M. Wright. Shelby Wells scored five goals in the
victory. The Gators have won seven of their last eight games.

6. C.M. Wright (Md.), 9-1

The Mustangs have been on a defensive roll lately –
holding its last four of its last five opponents to five goals or
less. The only glitch being a 10-9 loss to St. Paul's on Saturday.
Junior Maggie Gallagher scored four goals in the loss to the
Gators.

7. Maryvale Prep (Md.), 9-2

Maryvale ran into national No. 1 McDonogh to drop its second
game of the year, but it's difficult to penalize them too much for
the loss. Goalie Caroline Federico made 12 saves in the loss.
Maryvale Prep is currently the No. 4 team in the IAAM based on its
6-2 conference record.

8. Century (Md.), 10-1

Led by Hannah Warther the Knights have ridden to an eight-game
winning streak since it lost to C.M. Wright on March 23. Warther
has 38 goals this season and should be a key player when Century
meets national No. 1 McDonogh on April 29. Senior Haley Bordner
leads the team with 27 assists.

9. Great Valley (Pa.), 9-0

Emily Scullin tallied seven points (five goals, two assists) and
Brittany Edwards tallied six (four goals, two assists) to help lead
Great Valley to an 18-3 win over Bayard Rustin and extend its
winning streak to eight games. After giving up 10 goals in
back-to-back games on April 2 and 4, the Patriots have not allowed
more than eight goals in a game. They have held their last three
opponents to just 14 goals total.

10. Bryn Mawr (Md.), 7-4

The IAAM is a tough place to play and give credit to the
Mawrtians for playing nationally ranked St. Anthony's (N.Y.) in the
middle of conference play. Bryn Mawr lost 5-3 to the Friars, but
rebounded with an 8-5 win over Archbishop Spalding (Md.). Bryn Mawr
currently sits in a second-place tie with St. Paul's in the
conference.

News and Notes

Westfield (Va.) opened its season with a 13-6 win over Langley
(Va.), which reached the Virginia High School League (VHSL)
championship game in 2012. The Bulldogs followed up on April 9 with
a 12-10 win over the defending VHSL champion Oakton.

"This team has become really hard to play every game," coach
Kathleen Ruch said. "They're not fazed by their competitors
anymore."

Westfield is 11-1 with just two games remaining in the regular
season and the program is looking to improve upon last year's 11- 5
finish in which they lost to Langley in the Northern region
tournament.

"It started with our first game. We played three of four state
semifinalists to start the year. We beat Langley early. From there
they've [the team] bought in and really exceeded expectations,"
Ruch said. "Beating Oakton was a huge win as well, but we don't
want to make these wins the highlight of our season."

The second-year head coach has a team comprised of 10 juniors,
six of which started as sophomores, and five seniors.

Meghan Heick is committed to the University of Virginia and Ruch
said "is probably one of the fastest players I've ever coached.
She's a playmaker who looks for teammates all over the field."

Molly O'Sullivan is one of the team's leading scorers and also
takes the draw.

Around the Mid-Atlantic

Marriotts Ridge (Md.) has not received a lot of press this
season, but the Mustangs can change that over the next few weeks.
The 9-0 team led by coach Natalie Gaieski has scored at least 17
goals in all but one game this season (they defeated Winters Mill
7-6), but get thier toughest test of the season on April 26 when
they face nationally ranked Mount Hebron (Md.). Then on May 2 the
Mustangs play national No. 1 McDonogh (Md.) ... Pennsylvania is a
tough place to play. Conestoga and Radnor appear to be the top two
teams in the state right now, but Harriton, Springfield-Delco,
Great Valley and, don't forget defending state champions Garnet
Valley, are all in the mix. Just to show the level of competition
between these teams: former No. 18 Radnor lost to No. 21 Conestoga,
but Conestoga lost to unranked Harriton earlier, while Harriton
lost to unranked Springfield-Delco, which lost to Conestoga ...

Note: The Nike/US Lacrosse Regional rankings will not
necessarily reflect the same order as the Nike/US Lacrosse National
Top 25 poll, which is voted on by US Lacrosse area representatives
and Lacrosse Magazine contributors. LM contributors compile the
regional rankings.